UC-NRLF 


U.  S.  DEPARTMENT  OF- LABQft 

'*  JAMES  J    DAVIS.  Secretary 

CHILDREN'S  BUREAU 

^'  JULIA  C.  LATHROP.  Chid 


AVERAGE  HEIGHTS  AND  WEIGHTS 

OF  CHILDREN  UNDER  SIX  YEARS 

OF  AGE 


COMMUNITY  CHILD-WELFARE  SERIES  N^.  2 
Bureau  Publication  No.  64 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 

1921 


L333U3 


AVERAGE  HEIGHTS  AND  WEIGHTS  OF  CHILDREN  UNDER 
SIX  YEARS  OF  AGE. 


During  Children's  Year,  the  second  year  of  the  participation  of  the 
United  States  in  the  World  War,  the  Children's  Bureau  conducted  a 
series  of  campaigns  designed  to  focus  public  attention  upon  the 
welfare  of  children.  Among  these  campaigns  was  the  ''weighing 
and  measuring  test."  During  the  period  devoted  to  this  test  great 
numbers  of  children — for  the  most  part  under  6  years  of  age — 
in  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  were  weighed  and  measured. 
Record  blanks  were  furnished  by  the  bureau,  and  when  the  children 
were  brought  for  examination  entries  were  made  of  height,  weight, 
age,  sex,  and  race,  besides  particulars  of  country  of  birth  of  father 
and  mother,  and  physical  condition  of  the  child. 

As  a  result  of  this  campaign  the  bureau  received  over  2,000,000 
records,  and  was  thus  in  possession  of  a  larger  mass  of  anthropo- 
metric material  relating  to  children  of  these  ages  than  was  ever 
before  available.  Consultations  were  held  witii  anthropologists, 
statisticians,  and  pediatrists,  and  plans  of  tabulation  were  prepared 
in  accordance  with  recommendations  made  by  the  authorities 
consulted. 

A  careful  selection  was  made  of  approximately  one-twelfth  of  the 
cards  which  had  been  received.  The  basis  of  selection  was  fourfold: 
(1)  The  record  card  must  have  been  signed  by  a  physician;  (2)  no 
serious  defects  should  have  been  noted;  (3)  the  child  must  have 
been  weighed  and  measured  without  clothing,  as  verified  by  the 
physician  signing  the  card;  and  (4)  all  essential  items  must  have 
been  answered. 

On  the  basis  of  these  selected  records,  tables  have  been  made 
showing  average  weights  and  heights  for  children  of  different  ages 
and  average  weights  for  children  of  different  heights.  They  are 
based  upon  measurements  of  167,024  white  children. 

The  children  included  in  the  tabulation  were  70  per  cent  of  native 
parentage;  6  per  cent  with  one  parent  native  and  one  foreign  born; 
4  per  cent  oi  British  and  Irish  parentage;  and  the  remamder  of 
Scandinavian,  Italian,  and  other  racial  stocks.  They  represent 
children  from  every  part  of  the  country.  The  averages  for  white 
children  of  native  parentage  agree  very  closely  with  these  averages 
lor  all  white  children. 

Table  I  shows  average  heights  and  weights  of  boys  and  girls  from 
birth  to  72  months  of  age,  and  Table  2  shows  average  weights  of 
boys  and  girls  for  different  heights  from  20  to  47  inches. 

These  averages  represent,  so  far  as  the  original  material  permits, 
averages  based  upon  children  without  defects  or  diseases. 

4fi428°-21  (2) 


Table  1. — Height  and  weight  of  ivhite  children  from  birth  to  6  years  of  agt} 


Age. 


White  boys. 


Height 
(inches). 


Weight 
(pounds)  .2 


White  girls. 


Height 
(inches). 


Weight 
(pounds). 


Under  1  month 

1  month,  under  2 

2  months,  under  3. . . 

3  months,  under  4. . . 

4  months,  under  5. . . 

5  months,  under  6.. . 

6  months,  under  7. . . 

7  months,  under  8.. . 

8  months,  under  9... 

9  months,  under  10. . 

10  months,  under  11. 
U  months,  under  12. 

12  months,  under  13. 

13  months,  under  14. 
14- months,  under  15. 

15  months,  under  16. 

16  months,  under  17. 

17  months,  under  18. 

18  months,  under  19. 

19  months,  under  20. 

20  months,  under  21 . 

21  months,  under  22. 

22  months,  under  23. 

23  months,  under  21. 

24  months,  under  25. 

25  months,  under  26. 

26  months,  under  27. 

27  montlis,  under  28. 

28  months,  under  29. 

29  months,  under  30. 

30  months,  luider  31. 

31  months,  under  32. 

32  months,  under  33. 

33  months,  under  34. 

34  months,  under  35. 

35  months,  under  33. 

36  months,  under  37. 

37  montlis,  under  38. 

38  months,  under  39. 

39  months,  under  40. 

40  months,  under  41. 

41  months,  under  42. 

42  months,  under  43. 

43  months,  under  44. 

44  months,  under  45. 

45  months,  under  46. 

46  months,  under  47. 

47  months,  under  48. 
48 months,  under  49. 

49  months,  under  50. 

50  months,  under  51. 

51  months,  under  52. 

52  months,  under  53. 

53  months,  under  54. 

54  montiis,  under  55. 

55  months,  under  58. 

56  months,  under  57. 

57  months,  under  58. 

58  months,  under  59. 

59  months,  under  60. 

60  months,  under  61. 

61  months,  under  62. 

62  months,  under  63. 
03  months,  under  64. 

64  months,  under  65. 

65  months,  under  66. 

66  months,  under  87. 

67  months,  under  68. 

68  months,  under  69. 

69  months,  under  70. 

70  months,  under  71. 

71  months,  under  72. 


21J 
22i 
23| 


29 
29* 

m 

30i 

30i 

31 

311 

311 

32i 

32i 

32i 

33 

331 

33i 
341 

35 
35i 

i 

36 

36i 

36* 

36| 

365 

37« 
371 
371 
381 
38i 
3Si 
38J 
39 

m 

39i 

m 

39| 
391 
40 

40| 
405 

111 

41i 

411 

41f 

42 

42| 

421 

^H 
42| 

43 

43J- 
43| 
43i 
431 


29| 

m 

31 

31g 

31i 

32 

32| 

32| 

33J 

33| 

34 

M\ 

3H 

34| 

35 

35i 

35; 

3i 


36^ 
36^ 

^n 

37i 

37| 

38i 

38| 

38| 

39 

39i 

39i 

39* 

40i 

m 

40J 
41i 
4H 


30J 
30i 
30| 
3l| 
31f 
31J 
32i 

32| 

33t 

33| 

33| 

34 

34i 

34i 

341 

1 

351 

35i 

36 

36i 

37 

37i 
374 
37| 
38 

m 

381 

381 

39J 

39i 

39i 

39| 

40 

40J 

m 
m 

40i 

41 

411 

411 
41i 
41| 
42^ 
42i 

m 

423 
42| 
43i 
43i 
43| 


1  These  figures  are  based  upon  measurements  of  167,024  white  boj's  and  girls  for  whom  no  serious  defects 
were  reported.  The  averages  as  calculated  have  been  smoothed  and  corrected  to  allow  for  the  inclusion 
in  the  basic  figures  of  children  v/ith  adenoids,  diseased  or  enlarged  tonsils  or  carious  teeth,  and  they  rep- 
resent, therefore,  so  far  as  the  material  permits,  average  heights  and  weights  of  children  without  defects. 

^  Weights  do  not  include  clothing. 


^:89843 


Table  2. — Average  weights,  by  height  and  sex;  ivhite  childrcrt.^ 


Height  (inches).* 


20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
33 


White 

boys. 

average 

weight 

(pounds).' 


81 

lOi 

12 

13i 

15 

161 

18 

19i 

201 

22 

23i 


White 

girls, 

average 

weight 

(pounds).* 


Height  (inches).* 


34 
35 
33 
37 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
43 
44 
45 
46 
47 


White 

boys, 

average 

weight 

(pouuds).i 


White 

girls, 

average 

weight 

(pounds),' 


26} 

29I 

30i 

31i 

33 

34i 

36 

37i 

41 
421 
45 
46i 


1  These  figures  are  based  upon  measurements  of  167,024  white  boys  and  girls;  no  average  shown  is  based 
on  less  than  100  cases. 
*  Heights  are  classified  to  the  nearest  inch. 
»  Weights  do  not  include  clothing. 


Binder 
Gaylord  Bros. 

Makers 
Stockton,  Calif. 

PAT.  JAN.  21.  1908 


TL    ^tiS. 


689843 


^  B  34-2  3 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


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